Day 46

Rainy morning turned into this...

Just so gorgeous, I have not wanted to stay inside! I risked the rain this morning because I assumed it would rain all day, so off for a run I went. When I saw clear skies this afternoon, well...I decided to put on my Vibrams and head out again! I came home to Troy home early (LOVE) and HE was putting on his sneakers to go for a run. I very nearly went out with him AGAIN but decided that would be a wee bit obsessive.

Sigh, I think I am jealous that he is out there enjoying the weather! Maybe I will just go sit on the porch and read for a bit.

Till next time,
Romy
droid

Day 45

Wonderful day today! I am actually worn out from so much sun and fun...so today you just get pics that I took today at the nearby lake.

Till next time,
Romy
Olympus

Day 44

Is there a Patron Saint of Fresh Breath? If there is, please consider this a prayer... Please, please let the yogurt and carrots below be the cure for funk breath that my three adored pugs suffer from. I have tried brushing their teeth every single day, bones, doggy breath sprays and anything else you can think of. Nuffin. I refuse to have them put under to get their teeth cleaned because it scares me that they are too old for it, plus I brush their teeth! It's just funk. Funk like no one's business. Funk that even I cannot get past when I attack them with loves and hugs. FUNK!

Amen.


Till next time,
Romy

Day 43 - In-law Invasion!

I mentioned that the other day that my inlaws are in town from Florida.  They spend several months in WA state traveling ( in their 5th wheel) between Troy's sister in the Portland area and with us here in Walla Walla. We had a great day today which included going to walk at the track with my mother in law and dinner over at their place.  By the way, don't let my father in law fool you. He may look sweet and innocent but he has a devilish glint in his eye and loves to tease everyone! His son totally takes after him!

We also walked over to the local dog park and when I wasn't being mauled by a big, floppy puppy (Honest to God, this puppy wrapped his mouth around my arm before I could even react. Thank God he was friendly!) I was trying to steal the inlaws dog, Bo.  What a sweet little dog! He is nearly two years old and just an awesome little guy. He had a bit of a rough start in life before he was adopted by my inlaws, but now he lives the high life. Tons of walks, winters in Florida, summers in PacNW, cross country trips...yah, he has the life!

Till next time,
Romy

Day 42

Best. Husband. Ever!!! When he asked me to check my email today and I saw the subject line I almost died!

I have seen them in concert several and I mean several times and it will never be enough. They have been my favorite band since I was about 15 years old!  LOVE THEM!

Now if you will excuse me, I am off to listen to RHCP while I go for a run with a huge smile on my face.

LOVE!

Till next time,
Romy
Droid

Day 41

My inlaws rolled into town yesterday from Florida and we were so happy to see them!

My father in law, gave me a gift of the necklace with feather that I am wearing in the picture above. His friend is a talented artist who hand carves jewelry out of Bison, Antelope, Elk and Water Buffalo antlers that he finds.  I love it! So sweet of him to think of me.

It always feel like summer starts as soon as we see them because they typically spend the warmer months of the year out here in WA state. Yahh!

Till next time,
Romy
droid

Day 40

The end of the pavement on Spring Creek Road.

Taking a break before a nice descent.

 Went out and enjoyed a warm spring evening with about 20 local cyclists.  33 miles and over 1700' elevation gain definitely an excellent evening!

Till next time,

Troy

Android Epic

Day 39

So so so hot today! I had an excruciating workout that nearly left me in the fetal position but it was good! Lol. After I showered and guzzled two gallons of water and a green smoothie, I decided to take a ride to the local park to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

While I was there, I saw a cute little girl with a piece of bread talking to the fish. She was so cute, telling them to be nice to each other and calling them trying to get the fish to the surface. So adorable! In chatting with them, the father pointed over to the nearby geese and warned me not to get too close to them because they are known for being very territorial and would chase me!  Pshh, no way! Plus, I had to get close to the sweet one sleeping! See her? Upper left hand corner? Not very well? Okay, me either so I got closer.

There she is! Isn't she sweet? 

Well, the mate to this beautiful goose felt I was a bit too close. Okay, way too close. :((

I ended up being chased by a gaggle of ticked off geese all the way to the truck. I actually was afraid they were going to bite me! Simply for the sheer amusement of my husband, I will add that yes I did run while waving my arms and shrieking like a girl. Well! You would have too!

Why are geese so freaking mean!


Till next time,
Romy

Day 37

Yahhhh for Earth Day!!!

We are having some of the most gorgeous weather! Sunny, about 80 degrees...just perfect. We took major advantage and spent all day outside. It was such a full and wonderful day but I managed to take pics of my fave parts.

We went for a hike up to Tiger Creek and it was just so fantastic, not to mention beautiful.

I think you can sort of see how high up we were. Troy called me a billy goat because I love climbing up all those rocks! I decided to wear my Vibrams today because I want to get used to them for running, so I have been wearing them around a bit. It was great to have them on because I felt like I could really grip the earth with my feet while I was hiking.  Does that make sense? It does to me!

I am such a hard core city girl. My idea of outdoors used to be drinking a Corona on a beach in Mexico but once I married my husband and I moved to the PacNW, it seems like I can't get enough of nature. That being said, the first time we went camping...I wore silk pj pants from Victoria's Secret. I wasn't trying to be sexy! They were just the only pj pants I owned. Our first hike, I wore Coach boots and was nearly in tears because of how filthy they got. I have changed big time since those days. Mostly. I still don't like getting dirty. 

When we got to the top, we sat down and just soaked in how gorgeous it was for a little while. I took off my shoes and walked around because I told Troy that I wanted to feel the earth under my feet. He looked at me like I was crazy and continued taking pictures. All you could hear up there was the many different types of birds singing and calling to each other. Loved it. I asked him if we could stay all day but I think he was getting hungry.

On our way home on the very empty country road (don't worry, I don't normally do this but only because Troy doesn't let me), I was hanging out the window, letting the fresh air blow my hair around all over the place. I was so so happy and could not gulp it in fast enough! Troy teased me that I was acting like a big puppy, minus the tongue. :/

Wait...there is more!

While we were driving home, we passed a farm and I saw this!

Omg, baby lambs! I don't care how many times I have seen them, I adore those sweet little babies. I asked Troy to pull over so I could take some pics. Since it was on the side of the road, I didn't have enough time to grab for my camera so my cell phone had to do.

I also could not get too close because there was an electric fence, a wire fence AND they had this guy standing guard. He was actually quite sweet when I started to speak to him, he was all waggly tail and everything. I also took a video tape that came out better but there is no way I am posting it here because I was doing a serious baby voice and it might horrify my husband.

Awesome day. How did we end it? Brew pub within walking distance!

Yep. great day.


Till next time,
Romy

Day 36

 

After snapping hundreds of shots of the bike race here I am posting a picture of tulips that I noticed on the Whitman College Campus.  Yeah that makes sense!

 Troy

Olympus E-30

Day 35

It's Tour of Walla Walla time!  For the next few days bicycles will be racing in and round the city of Walla Walla and today Romy and I drove out and snapped a few shots of the first road race signalling the start of the tour.
********************
Troy wrote that part up there and those are his images. Now it is my turn. :)

We took advantage of Tour Of Walla Walla to head out and while waiting for the race to start, Troy was giving me some photography lessons. We spent quite a bit of time taking pics of random things, each other and I may have taken like 50 pics of myself. I looked cute today!

Once the race started I think he was expecting me to take pics of the cyclists. I found something far more interesting to shoot.

My favorite topic - Troy. <3


Till next time,
Troy and Romy
Olympus E-30 and Olympus E-500

Day 34 - Dinner with my two dudes

I know I say this all the time but it is really true, today was a great day! From the moment it started to right this moment - just wonderful. Part of the reason is right below! Jeremy, my stepson, is growing up so quickly it is blowing me away. The very first time I met him, he was all dimples and beautiful blue eyes. Little sweet thing and so shy. When his dad and I were just dating, he would tell me all the time about his son and he would rave on and on about how wonderful Jeremy was. I thought that of course he would say that! It's his son! After meeting him, I knew it wasn't just a father being biased. Jeremy is a wonderful boy who is growing into an amazing young man.

Oh and his shyness has flown right out the window! For those of you who really know us, trust me...he can keep up with our personalities and sense of humor. Yep, Jeremy does just fine.

Till next time,
Romy
droid

Day 33

Tulips are starting to grow in our front yard. The amount of happy that gives me is nearly off the charts. Flowers are a promise of warm days, enjoying the outdoors, sun-kissed skin and longer days.

I adore all flowers but tulips, especially white tulips, have always been my favorite flowers. Tulips are said to be a symbol of the renewing power of spring, a tulip is a lovely sign of light and hope. Love.

Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems.  ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Till next time,
Romy
Olympus E-500

Day 32

Long day <3


Till next time,
Romy
Droid

Day 31

Rainy Monday but it was still a pretty fantastic day. Troy had the day off and we spent a large portion of it pouring over recipes, nutrition books and various websites. I think my food obsession bug has rubbed off on my husband! I loveeee it!!!

He is really good about supporting each new insane idea I have and he even tries to stick to them. He was all for the vegetarian thing but the vegan thing made him raise an eyebrow. Fair enough, he still supports that I feel it is the best option for me. He recently decided to start following the Paleo Plan with some slight changes. I actually love it, because it is a step closer to my desire to go gluten free!


We went to a local market, which I LOVE! A bazillion (okay maybe I am exaggerating) bins full of good stuffs! They have nearly every root veggie you can think of, organic fruit and veggies, any seed you can imagine, spices, several different flours, the list goes on and on. Oh and they don't sell any meat! Love that.

I made a huge dinner tonight that was 100% healthy, even making my own salad dressing. I love it. I love making meals for my husband and I that are so good for us. I love knowing that we are making the very best decisions health wise that we possibly can. I take so much pleasure in putting recipes together, going to various stores to find the best option for the ingredients and knowing every single bite is not empty calories but good for us. Sure, we aren't perfect. I have a weakness for Skittles and mojitos, but you know what? I can't imagine being perfect is any fun and on top of being healthy...enjoying life is a must!


Till next time,
Romy
Droid

Day 30

Yankees fan for life! 

"The essence of the Yankees is that they win. From in front or from behind, they win. And that's why the history of the New York Yankees is virtually the history of baseball."- Dave Anderson


There is a saying...A Yankee fan is born, not made. I agree 100%.


Till next time,
Romy
Droid

Day 29

What a fun few days! We just got home from spending a few days on Snake River and it was so so wonderful! Troy completed his first triathlon in quite a few years and did really well. I was so incredibly happy and thrilled to watch him participating. I know how hard he worked for this and it was pretty great to see it finally happening. It is only a small one and the first one of the year but I am positive that I will feel this excited and proud for each one! Especially when Mr. Competitive lets me do the running portion! Ahem. :)

I took way over 150 pictures this weekend of Troy, the triathlon, sunsets, scenery, Snake River and of myself. When we got home and Troy was looking through the pics, he was cracking up because I also took pics of cute puppies.

 Come on....look at those sweeties! How could I resist?

Oh and I am about to cheat. I took this picture of Troy two days ago but I love it so much I am going have to post it.

I adore that man! <3

Till next time!
Romy
Olympus E30 and Droid for the last one

Day 28

First day of the triathalon and Troy kicked tri butt on the swim. Two seconds away from his personal best and a seriously great swim! Goooo baby!!

Now we are off to dinner and to get ready for day 2!


Till next time,
Romy

Day 27

Quick stop to check the bike was secure while on the road to the first triathalon of the season. We had a bit of a later start and it is wet out but it should be a good time!

Till next time!
Romy
Droid

Day 26 - Octopus SCANDAL!

Picture today seems simple enough...a huge purple octopus on the building of a toy store. Cute right? Well, the city of Walla Walla does not agree!

This sweet little octopus caused a huge uproar in our quiet little town in 2010,because the city did not feel it fit with the ambiance of downtown. The city also claims that the owner did not obtain the proper permits necessary for the mural. It has went to court a few times and last I heard the owner is still fighting to keep it. In the meantime the owner, was being fined $100.00 for each day the mural was still up. I remember hearing a while ago that the tally was over 20k. Ouch! Do you know how many pairs of shoes you can buy for that?!

 Below is a short clip of the owner speaking on the mural while it was in the process of being painted.


I know what you are thinking...Walla Walla, WA is a rough place to raise a family. Whole bunch of trouble makers here!

Till next time,
Romy
Droid

Day 25 - mmmm

I woke up feeling so blah today. The feeling stayed with me for most of the day and Troy asked me what would cheer me up. Hmm. If we went to the track together AND to dinner at my favorite restaurant in town. So off we went.

There is just something about working out that makes my entire day better. I hope to never live a day in my life without some type of exercise. Now on to the food!

Mmmm...Aloo curry, brown rice, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cilantro. Um, this is only half a portion by the way! The owner is a sweetheart who splits the meals for us since Troy and I usually like to share our food.

Wait there is more!

Hummus, mixed greens, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions and cucumbers in a grilled wrap. 

Again we split it. I feel compelled to share that the one on the left with the hugeeee chomp is not mine. I have a nice ladylike bite. Yes.

Oh wait...there is more!

Dessert was raw cashews, banana and blackberry pudding. AMAZING!

So so so good! I know I drive the people on my FB nuts with my eating habits, my work outs and pictures of everything, everyone and everyday in my life and I sort of apologize. I say sort of because well, all this stuff is important to me. I used to have a dear friend that would try to tell me all the time that food could heal you if you let it, if you ate right and omg it would drive me crazy. I have spent a large % of my life very ill with this or that and on enough medication to kill a horse! I thought that since I worked out, that I was doing everything I could. Wrong. Since I changed my eating habits, my entire life has changed. I have never, ever felt so so good. I can honestly state that eating vegan is the only way for me, for the rest of my life. For those naysayers out there, do some research...I dare you to find someone who states that eating 100% plant based food was a mistake for them. 

I won't preach anymore and God knows I could go on and on but I will say that I truly hope everyone reading these words feels as good as I do.  

If you are ever in Walla, Walla Wa be sure to swing by The Garden Vegan Cafe!

Till next time!

Romy

Droid

Day 24

Bennington Lake

A little over a month and a half until the Onionman Triathlon!  The swim portion of the race will take place in the lake above.  We'll be heading to Lewiston, ID this weekend for a Sprint Triathlon and a little camping, can't wait!

Troy

Olympus E-30

Day 23!

Happy Day!

Beautiful sunny day, pair of my fave sandals, jeans that felt a bit too snug a few weeks ago and are now in danger of being too big, new pedi, husband is home...bliss!!

I hope you all have a blessed Easter Sunday!

Till next time,

Romy

Droidddddd

Day 22

Jeremy decided he would be our guest blogger occasionally and today is his first entry!

                                                     

Out for a bike ride with dad.

Day 21

When Troy and I first got married and I would talk about my stepson, Jeremy, on various blogs I have had over the years I would call him Little Dude. I have no idea when it happened or how it happened but Little Dude no longer describes him.

Jeremy is now 13 years and nearly as tall as I am and as you can see, he has a much bigger foot than both of us. Troy's size 10 is two sizes smaller than Jeremy's size 12. Me? Forget it. He would not even fit into my socks.

I figure that since he is officially a teenager now that I will just call him Jeremy in blogs. Sigh. They grow up so fast.


Till next time,
Romy
droid

Day 20 - Twice on Thursday

Today was a fantastic day! From the moment we woke up it was noting but good.

Troy has been a slave driver lately! We both have been working out once in the morning and one more time in the evening. I am even sticking an extra workout or two during the day while he is at work. He has been biking to work and back a few times a week AND occasionally swimming before dinner. He walks in the door after the pool and says, "come on baby, let's go to the track!". You don't have to ask me twice! I am up and ready to go in seconds. I can't ever say no to working out.

I took this picture of my better half during the 2nd trip to the track today for me and right after his hour long swim.

Alright, I will admit it...I love it. The picture, the man and the multiple work outs!


Till next time,
Romy
Droid

Day 19

Meet Gidget!

Troy and I were driving down the street and I saw a woman pushing this little lady in a stroller. I told Troy that I NEEDED to take a picture so he laughed and went around the block so I could ambush her with a camera. He stopped, I jumped out the car, took the pic and we drove away quickly! Okay, not true. He stopped the car and I asked if it would be okay if I took a picture and luckily her owner said yes.

The look on her face kills me with cute! She was literally just preening for the camera!

Gidget is ten years old and she lovesssss to ride around in her stroller with her little blanket over her back. It was literally tucked into the back of her collar to keep her sweet little self warm and let's not forget to check out the blanket Her Highness was sitting on. Can you say spoiled? I love it! I believe every single animal should be spoiled! Her owner told me that Gidget belonged to her brother but two years ago he was put into senior housing and could no longer care for her so he asked his sister to put her down for him. Thankfully, Gidget's new owner fell in love and just could not bear the thought, so she kept her! Now Gidget lives the high life being chauffeured around town in pure comfort. LOVE!

Don't be surprised if in a few years, I am posting pics of a large stroller with all three pugs cuddling under blankets! Although, I doubt my pug thugs would ever sit still.


Till next time!
Romy
Droid

Day 18

Weather has been GORGEOUSSSS lately! I have been taking advantage of it by being outdoors as much as I possibly can.  On top of working out in the beautiful sun, I have been taking the pugs on extra long walks. This morning I saw this on the sidewalk and just had to take a pic.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
- Buddha

Till next time!

Romy

Droid

Day 17

My favorite section of the grocery store....

...fresh produce! We went to the market after Troy got home today and 98% of our cart was full of fruit and veggies. Love it.  That being said, I am on serious count down until the Farmer's Market opens. I will be there every weekend, bright and early with the basket of my orange beach cruiser nice and empty ready to be spilling over with green veggie and sweet fruit goodness!



Till next time,
Romy
Droid

Day 16 - Yah!

This is a proud wife post!!

Let me show you how Troy did at the swim meet this weekend.

Yep!! Two third place and one first place. Very awesome! He never ceases to not only impress but also amaze me.

I have always been his number 1 fan but now I am officially his swim groupie.



Till next time,
Romy
Droid (1st pic) and Olympus E30 (last 3)